President Moon Jae-in ordered government agencies to adhere to the country's human rights watchdog's recommendations as much as possible Thursday, as part of efforts to better protect basic human rights in running state affairs.

The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said Moon will regularly receive reports from the National Human Rights Commission of Korea and consider evaluating government agencies by the rate that they accept the watchdog's recommendations.

"President Moon Jae-in made it clear to break away from the previous administrations' lack of respect for human rights and to correct wrongdoings," Cho Kuk, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, told a press briefing.

The ad hoc reporting of the human rights situation by the watchdog is stipulated under the law, but it took place as a mere formality under the Lee Myung-bak administration and did not take place even once under the Park Geun-hye administration, Cho said.

The Cheong Wa Dae official said he has ordered police and other confinement facilities to come up with specific reform measures as the number of human rights violation cases reported there marked the majority of the total.

"Police, in specifics, have been calling for strengthening their investigation rights," he said. "I ask the police to autonomously provide specific and feasible plans to establish human rights friendly police, as a premise." (Yonhap)

Cho Kuk, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, speaks during a press briefing on human rights issues held at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on May 25, 2017. (Yonhap)